Set in Darkness begins at Queensbury House, part of the complex of buildings that will soon house the new Scottish parliament. All around new structures are being put up, but Queensbury House is part of the old that is being kept and refurbished. In the process of fixing things up a body is discovered behind a blocked-up fireplace. It won't be the only time that the past inconveniently resurfaces.Just two decades earlier Edinburgh had been on the verge of a similar boom, but the vote on Scottish devolution went the wrong way and the bit of independence -- and the possibility of making a lot of money with land speculation and construction work -- didn't come to pass. Despite a more successful turn of events with the coming of the turn of the century that recent past also haunts the present.Soon enough there are three bodies: the unidentified one in the fireplace, Roddy Grieve, who was standing for the new parliament, and a homeless man who apparently committed suicide -- and turns out to have some £400,000 in the bank.These deaths don't look to have too much to do with one another, but there seem to be some connexions -- and certainly enough mystery. And Detective Inspector John Rebus looks into all three of them. Paired with the arse-crawling up-and-comer DI Derek Linford, Rebus -- anything but a boss' favourite -- has some trouble getting things done his way, but eventually he manages.Rough around the edges, generally drinking too much, worried about his daughter Sammy (undergoing rehabilitation down south, after an accident that put her in a wheelchair) but not paying enough attention to her, Rebus is only in his element when he's chasing down the bad guys. On top of it all, it's the Christmas season too, and with everything conspiring against him he has a hard time of it. Compounding it all then is the release from prison of Big Ger Cafferty, a longtime nemesis he thought he'd put away pretty much for good. But Cafferty has an X-ray showing he has cancer and only a short time to live (not that Rebus would fall for that excuse), so they released him.The investigations unfold nicely: Rankin does the day-to-day detective work well. From the tiring work of sifting for clues to the complicated office politics these are the best parts of the book (and make up a good piece of it). Rebus jousts with Linford -- who's almost too good to be true, except that it turns out he doesn't take rejection from the ladies too well, which causes problems when the lady is a colleague.Aside from the criminal elements that look like they could be involved in all this (including some who have become semi-respectable) there's also the Grieve family: powerful, well-known, and made up of quite a collection of characters. And there's one son who happens to have been missing since 1979 .....There's also a secondary narrative thread, following the antics of a pair of mismatched, disgruntled childhood friends who've taken to assaulting women. There's some connexion with the rest of the story, but -- although Rankin does some fine writing here -- it never fully pans out and feels almost like an aborted second novel, tacked onto this one because it couldn't support one of its own.As far as the central story, the deaths Rebus is exploring, the build-up is fairly well done, and enjoyable going. It's only when things get tied up that it gets a bit messy and awkward. Not that Rankin doesn't offer a good explanation for what happened: it's the presentation that slips. Linford is conveniently shoved aside -- unfortunate, regardless of how unsympathetic he is -- and the final dynamics between police, suspects, criminals, and others generally don't feel as natural any longer. The lowpoint comes near the end, when someone notes: "Sending someone like Rebus to interview a sick man is tantamount to unlawful killing."The ending, with someone Rebus probably doesn't want to see in that position: "back, and in charge of his Edinburgh" offers some promise for the future, but again Rankin doesn't bring it about in the most convincing way. It's a good idea, but the execution disappoints a bit.Crowded with characters, Rankin can't pay enough attention to all of them (Linford, in particular, is unceremoniously ignored by book's end), but when he chooses to he can work very nicely with what he's got. Rebus' personal life doesn't interfere too much with goings-on: the drunken binges are kept to a minimum, the one woman in his life -- daughter Sammy -- is out of sight and largely out of mind, and he only sleeps with one wrong woman; his most interesting relationship is with colleague Siobhan Clarke. It's the personal weaknesses of others -- including Linford -- that play as large a role in how things unfold.There's the usual good Edinburgh stuff: the city remains a major player in the book, and Rankin covers it well, from the seedy fringes to the fast-changing new-rich parts. And there are a lot of musical references, a largely lost pop culture that dates Rebus (though he's open to the new -- if it's good) -- and lets him (and Rankin) show off a bit.Overall Set in Darkness is a solid, big read, with only a few let-downs -- though these are more noticeable because Rankin sets the bar fairly high.
SET IN DARKNESSby IAN RANKINWhen did I first hear about Ian Rankin. Never, it was just a recommendation by the shopkeeper to whom I usually go for my book-shopping. Maybe he was just trying to earn a little extra for he had only one copy, but I am thankful to him. I still thank him today for making me read well written crime fiction books. Yes, Mr.Rankin know what to write and how, I have read almost half of his John Rebus’ series in past one year and half, and he never gets carried away, never off the mark, the plot would always be good, his protagonist, John Rebus, always satisfying the reader and that’s what makes you a good crime fiction writer. That’s what a reader would love to read. That’s what I love to read. And not only the plot is great, it’s simple and very imaginable. Mr. Rankin knows the trick of immersing the reader steadily in the deep criminal world of Edinburgh. Set in Darkness was not only my first book of John rebus but also my only key to enter his world.set indarknesThe inspector Rebus’ series shows remarkable purview of the darker side to humanity. Rebus is a dedicated Scottish policeman, streetwise, methodical and persistent. But like all those he encounters, his has demons of his own to battle: a failed marriage, loneliness, alcoholism.The novel opens with the discovery of a body buried in Queensbury House, an old historic building being renovated to accommodate the Scottish parliament. Without any clues to the identity of the deceased, this case takes a low priority until a second murder occurs on the very same site. Roddy Grieve, a wealthy and ambitious Labour Party candidate for the legislature, is found bludgeoned to death, and Rebus is assigned to assist Derek Linford in this higher profile murder. Linford has ambitions of his own within Scottishlaw enforcement; and, as you might suspect, he and Rebus are opposite ends of the compass. Tactless, pompous and the golden boy of the police department hierarchy, Linford is placed in charge of the investigation, which he is obviously too inexperienced to handle. Rebus, on the other hand, organizes an efficient team of detectives and begins a methodic search for a motive that would bind these murders together. When the apparent suicide of a homeless man with an amazingly large bank account falls in the lap of his former disciple, Siobahn Clarke, she finds herself partnered once again with Rebus.The main ideology of the author is to show duality of the city of Edinburgh through Rebus’s character and perspective: a quiet and peaceful city during daytime, but a dark and turbulent city during night time. He clearly relates his first two novels Knots & Crosses and Hide & Seek, to Robert Louis Stevenson’s novel The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde just to create a modernized version of the classic.Grounded in the traditional method of skillful plotting, Mr.Rankin leads readers in several directions at once. He offers up any number of suspects and also tosses in a series of rape cases.As if this novel didn’t have enough twists already, a villain from a previous Rebus novel, reenters the inspector’s life, jeopardizing the dangerous investigation. Juggling three cases, appeasing his superiors, protecting Siobahn and watching his own back make Set in Darkness electrified with suspense. With Rankin’s superb characterizations and historic backdrops, this masterful writer takes his place alongside the best in the genre of crime fiction today.more at: http://amandeepmittal.wordpress.com
What do You think about Set In Darkness (2001)?
This is number eleven in the Inspector Rebus series. I've read them in order, which is what I like to do with series, and I can state unequivocally that Ian Rankin's writing only gets better as time goes by. So far, all the books in the series have seemed fresh and original to me and this is certainly one of the best.We find Rebus struggling with his regrets and his demons as he always seems to be, especially with the demon alcohol. Again and again, it seems likely to consume him as he consumes it, but he always manages to pull back before that final trip over the edge.It's his work that sustains him really. In fact, it often seems that work is all he has. There is no one he is really close to. His daughter is away in the south with her mother. He has friends but he keeps them at arm's length and they are all associated with his work, including his protege, Siobhan Clark, who plays an important role in this story. She has a special place in his feelings. He is very protective of her, but he deems himself much too old to be anything more to her.Once again, we see disconnected events which, to Rebus, show a pattern and which he comes to feel are not really disconnected at all. A body from many years ago is found walled up in a chimney during demolition prior to renovation and rebuilding. Who was he? Was he murdered? But then why else would his body have been hidden? A candidate for the new Scottish Parliament, member of a prominent family, is murdered. It seems he was well-liked, no obvious enemies, so who wanted him dead? Finally, a derelict throws himself off a bridge. The investigation of his death turns up the fact that he had hundreds of thousands of pounds available to him and yet he was living as a homeless man. Why? In the midst of the investigations of these deaths, Rebus learns that his nemesis, Big Ger Cafferty, has been released from prison and that he allegedly has terminal cancer. Rebus doesn't believe it. Big Ger is too mean to die.The powers that be, seeing Rebus as a loose cannon, decide to put one of their up and comers in charge of the investigation of the politician's death. Sparks will fly, and, yes, there will be blood.As usual, Rankin's plot is complicated and he keeps it moving. There's never a dull moment here, and the reader is left with an itch to get on with number 12.
—Dorothy
Pretty solid entry in the Inspector Rebus canon. Rankin loves to weave extra intricate plot lines, not all of which are guaranteed to be resolved to the reader's satisfaction at the end. He continues that tradition in this novel. Usually that works out well and makes for an engrossing read, but I'm afraid to say that in this case Ranking would have been better off leaving some plot lines out. The novels kicks off with the discovery of a barely recognizable dead body ('skelly', short for skeleton) buried behind a fireplace in an old building that is being demolished for the new Scottish parliament. Very soon a rising Scottish politician is murdered at the same site, and off we go. Rebus is getting old and has resorted to his alcoholism once again. Except this time he seems to be affected by his loneliness more than before. He is forced to work with an upstart detective and hates it. He sleeps with one of the murder suspects, a former supermodel who also happens to be the sister of the deceased politician. In midst of this all, Rankin gives a good lesson on Scottish history, Scotland's complicated relation with England and its place in the United Kingdom. Some old familiar faces from books past make memorable appearances in this book as well. All in all, terrific read. If I am ranking it at a 'mere' three stars that's because Rankin has set the bar so high with his other works. This one falls just shy.
—Comrade_Bazarov
BBC Radio 4 - Sept 281/2. Ian Rankin's crime thriller centres on the building of the new Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh in 1998. During the construction work a body is discovered in an old fireplace. The forensics suggest the victim was murdered 20 years before. Police are still attempting to identify the corpse when a second body is found on the site - and this time it's one of the prospective candidates for the new parliament. It's a high-profile case and the rising star of Lothian And Borders Police - 28-year-old Detective Inspector Linford - is assigned to investigate, assisted by a reluctant John Rebus.Dramatised by Chris Dolan.Other parts are played by the cast.Producer/director: Bruce YoungBBC Scotland.2/2 In the final part of Ian Rankin's crime thriller, Rebus is investigating two murders on the site where the new Scottish Parliament is being built in Edinburgh in 1998. But he makes the mistake of sleeping with the sister of one of the victims. DC Siobhan Clarke is looking into the death of a vagrant with over £400,000 in the bank. Rebus begins to suspect all three cases could be linked - but crime boss Ger Cafferty has his own ideas about where the police investigation should be going. Dramatised by Chris Dolan.
—Christine
